English Secondary Schools Research Articles

Empowerment of Saudi Women in Secondary School English Language Books: An Analytical Study

The current research aimed to investigate the degree to which women’s empowerment dimensions (social, economic, political, and women’s issues) are addressed through English language books in Saudi secondary education. It raised a question on the extent to which women’s empowerment dimensions are addressed in secondary English language books. The authors followed the descriptive analytical research design. The research utilized a checklist of (19) indicators describing women’s empowerment dimensions (social, economic, political, and women’s issues). The checklist was designed to measure women’s empowerment dimensions in the content and activities in English language books by inferring them from the units of analysis considered in the current research – paragraphs and pictures. Results showed that in the first year of secondary school, political empowerment was ranked first, whereas economic empowerment was ranked last. Additionally, in the second year, women’s issues were ranked first, followed by political empowerment, then economic empowerment was ranked last. In the third year, social empowerment came in the first rank meanwhile political empowerment came in the last rank. The study concluded a need to re-evaluate and update the curricula and textbooks regarding women in line with the national goals for women. It is a significant study because it addresses empowering Saudi women in EFL textbooks. It recommends including basic issues, especially woman-related ones, in EFL textbooks.

Sexism in Tanzanian Secondary School English Language Textbooks: Investigation of Adjective Attributions

This research paper investigates sexism in Tanzania’s secondary school English language textbooks with a focus on the adjectives used to describe women and men in textbooks published between 2005 and 2014. The paper aims to reveal how women and men are described, uncover gender ideologies conveyed by adjective descriptions and characterise the gender ideologies as hegemonic or deviant. Data were collected through a critical textual review of eight (8) textbooks. This paper is anchored on the Feminist CDA theory; and Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework was used as the analytic tool whereby data were described, interpreted and explained. The findings indicate that women and men are perceived differently in terms of number and types of adjectives attributed to them despite some similar attributions. In particular, there are more adjectives describing men than women. It is also found out that women are described mostly by physical property adjectives than other personalities. The study also revealed that some ideologies conveyed by adjectives are hegemonic, while others are deviant. Generally, the adjectives used to represent women and men in Tanzania’s secondary English language textbooks portray a sexist attitude about women and men since many adjectives still indicate gender stereotypes despite some positive changes.

The silence of black female voices in the course of learning english literature in South African secondary schools

This article explores patriarchal supremacist content in English secondary school Literature in postcolonial South Africa. In the course of colonization and Bantu Education, South African women, particularly Blacks were excluded in matters of education. They did not only endure racial, sexist, cultural, and other gendered-based atrocities in their societies and homes, they also suffered politically, economically, and intellectually. That made them more apprehensive than white women. For millennia black women, in particular, were treated as nurturers, caregivers and homemakers who were regarded as weak and dependent. Much of what secondary school literature, read in English classes, is written by males and follows a male protagonist. If women texts are involved, women are [were] portrayed differently from males, viewed as less capable or less significant. Although SA democratic constitution (Chapter 2) prescribed that everyone has a right to expression, in which everyone shares human rights, such as equality and freedom; black South African women still experience inequalities and lack of resourcefulness in the academic literary world. While women are the broad targets of myriad inadequacies and appalling atrocities in SA and have tried to raise their plights scholastically through literary writings and movements, they are deprived of chances to share these experiences in the literature that is scholastically acknowledged in secondary school Literature. As a result, this study examined the gender representation in English texts, read in SA secondary school Literature, regarding women representation in English first additional language (EFAL) Literature set-works in post-apartheid South Africa from 2009-2019 using a quantitative approach. Black Feminism Theory, which advocates equal representation of sexes, undergirds this study.

The problem with faith-based carve-outs: RSE policy, religion and educational goods

AbstractIn September 2020, relationships and sex education (RSE) became compulsory in all English secondary schools, and relationships education became compulsory in all English primary schools, marking a significant step forward in the fight to establish children's rights. Although the new RSE regime will help to ensure that many English schools provide pupils with a far more comprehensive RSE curriculum than ever before, the statutory guidance underpinning it includes a number of caveats that mean, although the subject is compulsory, not all children will receive the same content. Arguably, along with the right to withdraw (which is often exercised on religious grounds), the most insidious of these ‘carve-outs’ allows faith schools to teach RSE according to their ‘distinctive religious character’. This exemption has been used to defend the use of religious RSE resources that critics maintain are misogynistic, homophobic and often draw heavily on pseudoscience, as well as to justify leaving certain topics (such as same-sex relationships or trans rights) out of classroom discussion altogether. Drawing on empirically informed normative case studies and recent reforms to the curriculum in Wales, I argue that faith-based carve-outs to RSE policy imperil children's access to a distinct package of educational goods. Using a recent framework for educational decision-making based on these goods developed by Brighouse et al. I go on to conclude that such policies are politically and morally unjustifiable (at least if one agrees that the relevant package of goods is desirable). I further maintain that, even when considered from the perspective of human rights law—which is often given as a pragmatic reason to allow more permissive policies with respect to teaching topics that may impinge upon parents’ deeply held convictions—there are no necessary grounds for governments to legislate for the subject to be circumscribed by the religious beliefs of parents or the faith ethos of the schools children attend.

Making spaces for collaborative action and learning: Reflections on teacher‐led decolonising initiatives from a professional learning network in England

AbstractThis article draws on the experiences of teachers and teacher educators within the “Bristol Decolonising Network”, an informal professional learning network based in South West England, to share examples of teacher‐led decolonising/antiracist initiatives. The seven vignettes presented cover a range of subject areas across the English Secondary school curriculum, with varying rationales, foci, forms and intended outcomes. For this Special Issue, we look across these cases to consider links between teacher‐led decolonising and antiracist initiatives and professional learning. We suggest that professional learning is both a condition for, and outcome of, teachers' engagement in such work; and that extending collaboration beyond hierarchical and institutional boundaries is a key enabler for progress on this agenda.

POSSIBILITIES OF GAME METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

POSSIBILITIES OF GAME METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

Experiencing ‘inclusion’: a critical and systemic analysis of young people’s voices in English and Greek mainstream secondary schools

ABSTRACT Despite a growing consensus within the inclusion literature on the power of student voice, the way it is currently positioned in educational processes and systems remains problematic. This article argues that attention to student voice within a systemic analysis can deepen our understanding of young people’s experience of educational systems. It draws on data from a field research study which explored in-depth the inclusive experiences of 12 students in 2 English and 2 Greek secondary schools. Using Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological theory and a critical framework for reflecting on student voice as analytical tools, it examines the interplay between individuals’ accounts of their experience on the one hand, and their characteristics, interactions and environmental systems on the other. It discusses the way these factors shape students’ experiences of a system which is explicitly aiming towards inclusion, by highlighting issues of power and identity as well as contradictions between student and staff perspectives. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that reflecting systematically and critically on student voice provides opportunities for a deeper understanding of the experiences of students in diverse settings.

Effects of Word Definitions on Meaning Recall: A Multisite Intervention in Language‐Diverse Second Language English Classrooms

AbstractVocabulary experts recommend first language (L1) translation equivalents for establishing form–meaning mappings for new second language (L2) words, especially for lower proficiency learners. Empirical evidence to date speaks in favor of L1 translation equivalents over L2 meaning definitions, but most studies have investigated bi‐ rather than multilingual learners. In our study, we investigated instructed English vocabulary learning through an intervention study in six language‐diverse secondary school English classrooms in Sweden (N = 74) involving three conditions for presentation of word meanings: (a) definitions in the L2 (English), (b) translation equivalents in the shared school and majority language (Swedish), and (c) translation equivalents in the shared school and majority language plus other prior languages among the learners (Swedish and other). Based on overall weighted mean effect sizes and mixed‐effects modeling, the results showed that conditions that involved L1 translation equivalents yielded higher scores than did target language definitions in immediate posttests with a small effect size but no differences in delayed posttests.

Does Gender Difference Exist on the Teaching Creativity Level of Male and Female Secondary School English Teachers in District Bannu?

The main focus of the current study was to investigate the creativity level, teaching effectiveness level and gender difference in creativity level of secondary school teachers in district Bannu. The researcher used two instruments i.e. English Language Teachers’ Creativity Scale (ELT-CS) and Teaching Effectiveness Questionnaires. Random sampling followed by proportion allocation was used to collect the data. Since the data regarding teachers’ creativity and teaching effectiveness was collected from their students, so 363 students were randomly selected from 23 female and 40 male secondary schools. Mean, Standard Deviation and Independent Sample t-test were used analyzing the data. The results of the study concluded that female secondary school teachers were more creative than male secondary school teachers. Those teachers, whose creativity level was high, were more creative than those whose creativity level was low. It was suggested that teachers should be motivated to improve their creativity level in all aspects so that their teaching and their students learning could improve and educational objective could be met. For the first time, the researcher attempted to determine the level of creativity among secondary school teachers in district Bannu, and got empirical data to prove the importance of creativity for teaching effectiveness.

Technology-based Formative Assessments Implemented by Secondary School English Teachers During Remote Learning

During the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers had to alter their assessment process for an engaging and productive remote learning. The present study investigates the technology-based formative assessments carried out by secondary school English teachers. To reach that goal, the writers conducted a series of observations and an interview. It was found that English teachers used a few technology-based formative assessment platforms such as Quizizz, Kahoot!, Schoology, Microsoft Office Team, and Socrative. Oral and written feedback was also regularly done by English teachers for supporting technology-based formative assessment practices. The finding of this study also implies the crucial role of digital literacy in supporting the successful implementation of technology-based formative assessments during distance learning.
 Keywords: technology-based formative assessment, English teaching and learning, remote learning

The Supervision of English Language Teachers in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya: A Critical Role of Heads of English Department

Purpose: The study assessed the role of heads of English department in the supervision of English language teachers in public secondary schools in Kakamega county, Kenya among other objectives. Supervision is key in enhancing learning-teaching experiences. In order to ensure better supervision of English language teachers, the heads of English department should play a key role in supervision. When their roles are not carried out efficiently, the teachers may not reach their full potential and learners may underperform. In Kenya, there is no official supervision approach that is exclusively used for supervising teachers of English in secondary schools, which means that teachers of English are not being effectively supervised, and this leads to negative impact on curriculum delivery.
 Methodology: This article is based on the research study done in Kakamega County, which explored English Language Teachers` opinions about the usefulness of Collaborative Peer Supervision (CPS) approach in enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in the teaching of English Language in public secondary schools in Kenya. The study adapted the Convergent Mixed Methods Research Design, where, 25 heads of English department were purposively sampled from the 417 public secondary schools in Kakamega county, and were interviewed using a researcher-developed in-depth interview schedule. Data collected was thematically analyzed using NVIVO12 Software. 
 Findings: The results revealed that, the major supervisory roles of HODs currently, is administrative i.e., supervision of curriculum implementation at the departmental level, conducting teacher appraisals, and general management of departmental issues. This is formal supervision through the Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development (TPAD) tool, which is the current supervisory approach, recognized by the Teachers` Service Commission (TSC), the teachers` employer in Kenya. The study also revealed that HODs are not fully sensitized about other key supervisory roles that they should play, in accordance with the literature. The results were presented thematically, by way of verbatim quotes as expressed by the participants` responses, and researcher commentaries.
 Unique Contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study concluded that teachers of English in public secondary schools in Kenya, are not being effectively supervised because the HODs are not fully sensitized about their full supervisory roles. The study recommends the development of capacity building programs on supervisory roles for HODs through workshops and seminars, and the introduction of CPS as a complementary supervision approach for supervising teachers of English in secondary schools, in which HODs will take the centrality of guiding supervision in their departments. This should guarantee the delivery of high-quality instruction.

Practice Research on Teaching Reform of UAV Professional English in Secondary Vocational Schools

Practice Research on Teaching Reform of UAV Professional English in Secondary Vocational Schools

Gender voices in Afghanistan primary and secondary school English textbooks

AbstractTextbooks are one of the areas in which gender inequality is institutionalized effortlessly. The study investigated the representation of gender in primary and secondary English textbooks. A total of 14 categories of underrepresentation and misrepresentation were used to examine gender portrayal. The results show that women are significantly underrepresented whilst men are overrepresented in text and illustrations. Female names account for only 30.4% of names in textbooks. Male characters precede female characters in most coordinated phrases, and most of the dialogues are initiated by men. Masculine generic forms are used to refer to women and men including in the English translation of the Afghanistan National Anthem. Men are more frequently portrayed in a myriad of social roles than women are. Surprisingly, this pattern also holds true for domestic roles. Furthermore, little space is dedicated to female famous persons (e.g., scientists), and women constitute a tiny fraction of the main characters of articles and stories, most of which were about trivial matters (e.g., cooking). They are portrayed in a small number of activities, almost a quarter of which are house‐related tasks.

Exploring the Effectiveness of Flipped Learning Approach in the Nepalese classroom: A Descriptive Study

Flipped learning approach in the classroom is gaining popularity in many schools in developed countries. This approach makes teaching materials available online to students such as perverted class or deferred instruction, an easy way to investigate homework by connecting technology. Gradually it is attracting the attention of teachers, students and school administrators. In this regard, this quality study examines the views of English teachers and the success of the flipped learning approach in high schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the ideas of Secondary School English teachers using a transformed learning approach in the Nepalese classroom. In order to get ideas, research was done thinking that those schools could introduce a more flexible approach to providing quality education. They were asked if they had any information about the modified reading method. A study on flipped learning was conducted among teachers who were preparing for flipped classes. The study followed a descriptive and narrative type of phenomenological qualitative research design. The researcher designed a set of open-ended questions for teachers in each school to gather research data. In this study, the researcher focused on the effectiveness and importance of a flipped learning approach by examining the barriers, challenges and recommendations of English-speaking teachers in high schools. Therefore, this study follows the descriptive design of the study and is interpreted by interpretation. The results of this study revealed that teachers are more active in flipped learning .Despite various challenges such as new technologies, editing courses and projects, video tutorials and more, most teachers seemed ready and willing to take on the challenges and interact with the new teaching method of this age of science and technology; it provides new inventions and techniques for both teacher and students.

Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection among staff and students in a cohort of English primary and secondary schools during 2020-2021.

SummaryBackgroundThere remains uncertainty about the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 among school students and staff and the extent to which non-pharmaceutical-interventions reduce the risk of school settings.MethodsWe conducted an open cohort study in a sample of 59 primary and 97 secondary schools in 15 English local authority areas that were implementing government guidance to schools open during the pandemic. We estimated SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence among those attending school, antibody prevalence, and antibody negative to positive conversion rates in staff and students over the school year (November 2020–July 2021).Findings22,585 staff and students participated. SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence among those attending school was highest during the first two rounds of testing in the autumn term, ranging from 0.7% (95% CI 0.2, 1.2) among primary staff in November 2020 to 1.6% (95% CI 0.9, 2.3) among secondary staff in December 2020. Antibody conversion rates were highest in the autumn term. Infection patterns were similar between staff and students, and between primary and secondary schools. The prevalence of nucleoprotein antibodies increased over the year and was lower among students than staff. SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence in the North-West region was lower among secondary students attending school on normal school days than the regional estimate for secondary school-age children.InterpretationSARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence in staff and students attending school varied with local community infection rates. Non-pharmaceutical interventions intended to prevent infected individuals attending school may have partially reduced the prevalence of infection among those on the school site.FundingUK Department of Health and Social Care.

Barriers of Teaching English Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: Voices of English Teachers in Indonesian Secondary Schools

The present study aims to explore a dozen barriers of teaching English in Indonesian secondary Schools amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The qualitative study documents the teaching experiences of English teachers at Indonesian Junior high schools. By employing a purposive sampling technique, the writer collected data through semi-structured interviews with three English teachers in Indonesian secondary Schools. The result of the study evidence that the barriers of teaching English encountered by them amidst the COVID-19 pandemic cover the difficulties of controlling learning activities among students, the difficulties of providing feedback of English materials because of the distance, the constraints of signal and quota, the difficulties of identifying the progress of students’ learning at once and the students’ boredom during joining online class, ineffective assessment of English materials through e-learning, lack of preparation among English teachers and students in using e-learning, the difficulties in meeting students’ need, lack of training, support and technical expertise. This study has offered an implication of promoting successful English learning by providing innovative teaching media for English teachers and the need of better engagement among students in joining English class amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Graded Readers as an Effective Strategy in Elementary ESL Teaching in China

The current mode of teaching English in primary and secondary schools in China mainly revolves around reciting words and studying grammar, which are not only less efficient, but also very uninteresting to the students. This paper, by referring to the Input Hypothesis proposed by Stephen D. Krashen and some previous studies, discovers that introducing graded readers to elementary ESL classrooms in China can effectively build up the students’ language competence and spark their interest in learning this second language, which will be very beneficial to their future study.

Impact of Krio Language on the Use of English as a Foreign Language: A Case Study of Senior Secondary Schools Pupils in Sierra Leone

Krio, like other pidgin languages, borrows lexical items from other languages to a greater extent from the English Language. These words “borrowing” and “usage” have resulted in some similarities in the phonological, morphological and syntactic structures of both Languages. These two languages are so linguistically related that the usage differences between them can hardly be realized. As a result, users of both languages unconsciously use Krio lexemes and structures in place of English. This interlanguage phonological, lexical, and syntactic transfer has an enormous impact on the correct use of written and spoken English by senior secondary school pupils. This research is therefore intended to investigate the impact of Krio on the written and spoken English Language of senior secondary school pupils and will also provide recommendations to remedy the situation. This study is of immense relevance to teachers of English, curriculum planners, government, and other education stakeholders as it helps them to identify the extent to which Krio impacts the use of English among pupils. It, therefore, guides them to plan and provide appropriate strategies as solutions to remedy the situation. The study investigates the ways in which Krio impacts the teaching and learning of English in senior secondary school and the extent to which it is being used in schools by pupils and teachers. The study further provides strategies for assessment of the English Language teaching methods used by the teachers of English, and thus gives relevant conclusions and recommendations based on the findings of the study an assessment of the English Language teaching methods used by the teachers of English, and thus gives the relevant conclusion and recommendations based on the findings of the study with the help of well-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews and personal observations. Forty pupils and eight teachers of English were selected for the study, and the findings showed that pupils’ written and spoken English are marred by incorrect and substandard usage principally as a result of the impact of Krio on the use of the English Language.

Creativity in the lives of English teachers: voices through found poetry

ABSTRACT This arts-based research explores the place of creativity in the lives of a focus group of teachers of English in an English secondary school who work within an increasingly performative educational system. As well as interrogating the place of creativity in their lives, the study explores how found poetry can be used as a research method to collate, analyse and then represent data. The poems are produced from semi-structured individual interviews. The participants were able to scrutinise and reflect upon the poems before returning for a second interview. This process helped strengthen the findings and gave a deeper understanding of their experiences regarding creativity. The findings suggest that the participants have limited space to be creative, or to think differently in their teaching practice. The limited space to be creative comes from normalising practices of a performance culture, but the restrictions are extrinsic and internally imposed by the participants.

Didactic functionality of discourse markers in teaching reading in English

This article is aimed at considering the potential of such a mechanism of text coherence as discourse markers, which can be used in teaching reading in English. The authors raise the problem of the necessity in finding effective methods for teaching reading in a foreign language to improve students reading literacy. The article is aimed at identifying and describing the linguodidactic technique promoting the development of reading skills in English with the help of discourse units. By applying typologization method supported by the contextual analysis the authors consider discourse markers in English academic articles and make an attempt to develop the extended functional classification of these units. Academic articles written in English were chosen as the material for the first part of the study due to the high-level structure of this genre, in which the mechanisms of cohesion and coherence are widely applied. Then, the authors are trying to involve B. Grabes visual schemes to illustrate discourse markers functional potential. These schemes are supplemented by the a modelling method to create various types of exercises that contribute to the development of reading skills in English with the help of discourse units. The results are characterized by novelty, since up till now discourse markers in teaching a foreign language have been applied for learning activities while the in the present paper the authors offer to consider them as a learning tool, namely a tool for speech skills development. The results obtained can be applied in teaching reading in English in secondary and high school.